The Daviess County Public Library board on Friday presented a resolution to former employee Seth Boone, who filed a complaint citing disability discrimination and retaliation after he was fired in July. Saying he was disappointed by the proposal, Boone is moving forward with the complaint filed with the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Boone was hired in March but terminated in early July. Boone – who has diabetes, autism, ADHD, OCD, Tourette’s Syndrome, and other mental health ailments – claimed that he was not given reasonable accommodations for his disabilities and was fired on unjust grounds. The complaint was specifically filed against Public Services Manager Brandon Hagan.
The DCPL board has held multiple special called meetings with closed sessions since that time as they’ve continued to conduct investigations. Board Chair Michelle Drake invited Boone and his family to Friday’s special called meeting so he could share his point of view on what led to his termination. The board did the same on August 4 for Hagan.
After the meeting, Drake did not provide much insight but said they made Boone a proposal.
“We did offer a resolution to Seth, I can tell you that for sure,” Drake said.
Drake said that during the closed session, Seth was interested in the offered resolution.
Boone said the offer included offering him a new position at DCPL, and under a different manager.
However, later on Friday, Boone told Owensboro Times the resolution was “disappointing.” He claimed that when his family did their own searches, they learned that the manager he would be working under in the new position has “numerous complaints from the public.”
“I went in expecting nothing, and yet still, I am disappointed,” he said. “… It was disheartening. Honestly, it would have been better had they legitimately done nothing whatsoever.”
Boone also claimed that over the course of their own investigation, his family found 20 years’ worth of what they called “routine discrimination” that DCPL has dismissed. Boone said when his complaint arose, he felt it was “just passed off as a misunderstanding.”
While Seth’s father Jason Boone noted that the board did acknowledge that Seth was “wrongfully terminated,” he also said the job description and requirements set were geared toward that of an able-bodied person and not a person with disabilities.
“The main reason for his original termination was him not being able to meet the shelving quota,” Jason said. “That particular criteria was a goal that was established for an able-bodied person, they didn’t take any disabilities into consideration. So if someone were in a wheelchair, or if their eyesight was limited, or if they had any disability whatsoever, it would be impossible to meet that particular quota. It was only for those that were able-bodied.”
Jason said the board acknowledged the Boones’ concern and was open to adjusting the criteria for employees with disabilities.
In addition to reviewing the criteria, Drake noted that DCPL staff will start undergoing training. She said DCPL will also host a seminar to educate all staff about the Americans with Disabilities Act and sensitivity training.
Seth said he is moving forward with his EEOC complaint, but not just for his own sake.
“When I first went into it, it was justice for me,” he said. “But because of the kind of person that I am — the instant we started getting these other people coming out of the woodwork admitting to discrimination happening towards them, as well — it immediately stopped being about me. It was no longer about me; it was no longer getting my job back; it was about stopping discrimination immediately.”
Seth said at this point, regaining employment at DCPL does not matter to him; instead, his main goal is to ensure that no other person with a disability experiences the treatment he received.
Jason said that he will support Seth in his decision to continue with the complaint.
“As a parent, I admire him for his decision and what he’s standing for,” he said. “For someone at his age, it takes a lot of bravery to do what he’s doing.”
